Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Raise The Level”?
Artist Statement
In celebration of "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" at Over the Influence, I'm releasing this "Raise The Level" print at Garey the Third in DTLA. If you're visiting the exhibition today, be sure to pick up this print while you're at it! – Shepard Raise The Level. Screenprint on cream Speckle Tone Paper. 24 x 36 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. $100
Summary
Raise The Level is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper, measuring 24 x 36 inches. It was released in celebration of Fairey's "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" exhibition at Over the Influence, made available at Garey the Third in downtown Los Angeles for visitors to the show. Published by Garey The Third, the print was issued as a signed, numbered edition of 550. Compared with Fairey's premium archival editions, this is a more accessible, exhibition-tied release at a lower price point and larger edition size, positioned as a companion piece for people attending the exhibition.
Why It Matters
Raise The Level is an exhibition-tied release that connects directly to one of the defining shows of Fairey's later career, "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" at Over the Influence. In Fairey's own words, it was released at Garey the Third in DTLA as a print for visitors to pick up while seeing the exhibition, which gives it value as a documented artifact of that specific moment and venue. With a larger edition of 550 and a lower price point on cream Speckle Tone paper, it sits in the accessible tier of Fairey's output, making it a practical entry point for newer collectors who still want a signed, numbered work tied to a major exhibition. Its OBEY-iconography and pop-culture framing align it with Fairey's broader graphic practice rather than a single political theme. For collectors, the appeal is the combination of provenance, the exhibition connection and DTLA release context, with affordability and a signature. It rewards buyers who value the story and event behind a print as much as the image itself, and who want a tangible link to Fairey's three-decades retrospective period.
Collector Perspective
Raise The Level appeals to collectors who value exhibition provenance and accessibility. As a signed, numbered work tied to Fairey's "Facing the Giant" show and released at Garey the Third in DTLA, it offers a documented connection to a notable moment in his career at an approachable price. The larger edition of 550 means it is more attainable than his premium archival releases, making it a strong entry point for newer collectors or those building an exhibition-focused subset. At 24 x 36 inches on cream Speckle Tone paper, it has solid wall presence. It fits well alongside other OBEY-iconography and event-tied prints, and its story-driven nature adds collector interest beyond the image alone.
Historical Context
Raise The Level dates to 2019 and is explicitly tied to Fairey's "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" exhibition at Over the Influence, with the print released at Garey the Third in downtown Los Angeles for show visitors. This places it squarely within the three-decades retrospective period of Fairey's career, when he was both surveying his past work and presenting new pieces. Unlike his premium archival editions, this release was conceived as an accessible, event-linked companion print, reflecting Fairey's long-standing practice of pairing major exhibitions with attainable editions that let a wider audience own a piece of the moment. Its OBEY-iconography framing connects it to his core graphic language during this mature phase.
FAQ
What is Raise The Level?
Raise The Level is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper, measuring 24 x 36 inches. It was released to celebrate his "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" exhibition and made available at Garey the Third in downtown Los Angeles.
How large is the edition?
Raise The Level was published by Garey The Third in 2019 as a signed, numbered edition of 550. Each print is signed by Shepard Fairey, according to the release details.
Why was this print released?
Fairey released Raise The Level in celebration of his "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent & New Works" exhibition at Over the Influence, making it available at Garey the Third in DTLA so visitors could pick it up while seeing the show.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper, measuring 24 x 36 inches, published in 2019.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.